Kern Coalition Against Human Trafficking (KCAHT) is proud to welcome Rebecca Bender–a world-renowned author, speaker, and human trafficking survivor leader–to Downtown Bakersfield. Join us for a night of human trafficking awareness and learn more about how this issue is affecting our own community. Book signing to follow.

Seats are limited. Special thanks to our sponsor, Kern County Department of Human Services.

About Rebecca

Rebecca Bender is the founder and CEO of the Rebecca Bender Initiative (RBI). She is an award-winning social entrepreneur and nationally recognized expert on human trafficking. After escaping nearly six years of modern-day slavery, she wrote her first book, Roadmap to Redemption, followed by a 16-week curriculum titled Elevate. RBI’s advanced trainings have equipped over 100,000 community professionals including FBI, Homeland Security, local law enforcement, medical professionals and aftercare programs to provide expert testimony during trial and investigation, trainings and consultation. Rebecca serves as an advisor to the United States Dept. of Health and Human Services, the Presidential Candidacy Equality Model Coalition and the Oregon Dept of Justice.

In 2015, Rebecca realized that if she could get a masters online, she could mentor online and created the first online school for trafficking survivors, merging tech and social justice. To date, over 644 survivors in 6 countries have received mentoring and professional development training. She now uses those courses to help teach all women how to use their story for a purpose.

Rebecca and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest with their four daughters. She is a sought-after speaker and has been featured in many news publications. Her memoir, In Pursuit of Love releases Jan 2020.